December 6, 2016

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony kicked off the season of joy with Santa and Mrs. Clause helping to light The Auxiliary Bridge Christmas tree.

St. John’s choir sang holiday carols as young patients danced along. Senior Vice President Tabitha Rice helped kick off the lighting ceremony. Within seconds, the lights magically turned on and the “HO HO HO” of Santa could be heard as he walked down the hospital hallways.

View photos from the event below.

There’s plenty of cheer left for patients, families and employees. Be sure to check out one of these holiday gatherings on your clinic floors and get in the holiday spirit.

  • Monday, December 12 – Four Seasons Santa’s workshop
  • Wednesday, December 14 – 360 Property Agency Craft Party
  • Friday, December 16 – Direct Energy Board Game Mania
  • Tuesday, December 20 – WATCH Santa Day

12616retirementbenefits250At Texas Children’s, our employees lead tirelessly every day in service to our patients and our organization. As part of our commitment to your financial well-being, our comprehensive Total Rewards program includes two retirement plans to help you save for your future.

Texas Children’s Pension Plan
We are excited to announce that on approximately Friday, December 9, Texas Children’s will post your 2016 Pension Plan deposit into your account. To see how much your pension plan has grown, log into your account at ibenefitcenter.com. For new users, you can register by clicking on “Get Started” to enter the last four digits of your social security number and your date of birth. On the website, you will also find useful tools to help you view your balance, estimate your future pension plan balance and verify/update your beneficiary information.

This pension plan is designed to provide a foundation for your retirement and is fully funded by Texas Children’s. You are automatically enrolled in the plan on April 1 or October 1 once you reach 21 years of age and have worked 1,000 hours or more during the 12 consecutive months after your initial date of hire.

To learn more about the pension plan, click here to view the summary plan description or call the Texas Children’s Pension Plan Support Team at 800-752-8230 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday central time.

Texas Children’s 403(b) Savings Plan
The 403(b) savings plan provides matching contributions (free money) from Texas Children’s! Texas Children’s matches 50 percent on the first 6 percent of your pre-tax contributions per pay period, to a maximum of $8,100 for 2017, and then you choose how to invest those funds. The more you save, the more Texas Children’s contributes. If you are not already enrolled in the 403(b) savings plan or not contributing at least 6 percent, you should consider doing so now.

You can enroll anytime by contacting Fidelity at 800-343-0860 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., Monday through Friday central time or online at fidelity.com/atwork. If you are registering online for the first time, please click on “Register” in the login area to enter the last 4 digits of your social security number and your date of birth. Don’t miss out on this valuable match!

12716bellowsconstructioncrewmeetselsa640Whether you’re walking the halls of the hospital at main campus or glancing outside the window, you may have noticed a new addition to the Pediatric Tower construction site – an 8-foot cardboard cutout of Elsa!

Elsa is Texas Children’s new therapy dog. She has been seeing patients across the inpatient population since October and provides goal-oriented therapeutic interventions. The positive response to her arrival has been overwhelming. Since Elsa is unable to see all patients, Child Life recently launched a fun project for patients, families and staff so they can interact with Elsa in other ways.

An 8-foot replica of Elsa wearing a construction hat can be found in a different location every week in the Pediatric Tower. The Bellows construction team is joining in on the fun and they are moving Elsa each week to allow patients, family and staff to enjoy the weekly game of “Where’s Elsa?”.

There are interactive activities to engage patients and families who find Elsa and a weekly event in the Zone on the 16th floor of West Tower for patients and families to have fun searching for Elsa. For those patients who are on isolation, there are specialized activities to ensure they are able to participate in the game too.

Join in on the fun and see if you can find Elsa this week! Engage your patients and families to find Elsa too!

And as always, Elsa is ready to greet you when she sees you in the hall and continues to be incredibly excited to be a part of the Texas Children’s team.

November 15, 2016

Growing up, it took awhile for Michelle Roy to warm up to other children in her neighborhood and school classrooms. A bilateral cleft lip and palate caused her to be shy, introverted and at times feel a little isolated.

“I didn’t have anyone to share my experiences and feelings with,” she said. “I didn’t have access to a network of kids in similar situations.”

Fortunately, that’s not the case for the many children Roy now works with as a physician assistant to pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. Laura Monson. Monson helped start Camp Keep Smiling in 2014, a camp for children with cleft lip and palate.

The camp recently wrapped up with a record-setting number of campers and incredible experiences for the patients and staff members alike. Camp Keep Smiling provides a safe, fun environment for patients between the ages of 10 and 16 to engage in meaningful social interaction and gain self-confidence. The camp, hosted by nonprofit Camp for All, offers activities like canoeing, fishing, archery, ropes courses, basketball and arts and crafts. Admission is free of charge for patients as it is supported directly by donations.

This year, 61 campers attended Camp Keep Smiling versus the 30 who attended in 2014. Monson leads the camp with other team members from the plastic surgery division. Physicians, nurses, OR staff and child life specialists serve as counselors who notice tremendous strides in the campers towards the end of the session. Oftentimes, campers have never met another child with cleft lip and palate and this gives them the opportunity to form friendships with those who are just like them.

“Children with cleft lip and palate often will have four or more surgeries throughout their lifetime to address not only appearance issues but speech and dental issues as well,” Monson said, adding that cleft lip and palate affects one out of every 700 births. “Camp Keep Smiling was created to help these children better understand their condition, meet people who are going through the same thing and help them deal with some of the difficult social interactions they might have growing up.”

Christy Hernandez, a registered nurse with Texas Children’s Outcomes and Impact Service, has been helping organize the camp since its inception and said it is amazing to watch the campers open up to one another over the weekend while participating in super fun activities.

“It’s life changing for many of them,” she said. “It’s a time when they can forget about their medical condition and just be kids.”

Roy participated in the camp for the first time this year as its counselor coordinator and saw firsthand what a great opportunity it is for children with cleft lips and palates to gain confidence in themselves, and meet and build relationships with people who look and often feel the same way they do.

“Camp Keep Smiling is a very valuable experience for these children to have,” she said. “I feel blessed to be a part of it and to let them know there’s a bright future ahead of them.”

Click here to watch ABC-13’s story about Camp Keep Smiling.

111616wcveteransday640Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus honored its veterans on Veteran’s Day, November 11, with a photo tribute displayed across the campus.

Veteran’s Day is a time our country pays fitting tribute to our military veterans. The holiday coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. The United States previously observed Armistice Day before renaming it Veteran’s Day in 1954.

Texas Children’s thanks all its veterans for their service.

November 8, 2016

11916compliancelancelightfoot175At Texas Children’s, doing what’s right is of the utmost importance to maintaining the quality of care we provide our patients, their families, and our Health Plan members. That’s why the role of the Compliance and Privacy Office is integral to our organization’s health and success.

The office’s team is committed to maintaining the highest ethical, legal and professional standards by providing leadership and oversight of all Texas Children’s business practices. Areas of prominent interest to the office include:

  • Safeguarding protected health information
  • Adhering to private payer billing standards
  • Complying with all state and federal laws and regulations as well as Texas Children’s policies and procedures

“At Texas Children’s, we are committed to leading tirelessly in maintaining an ethical workplace,” said Texas Children’s Vice President and Compliance and Privacy Officer Lance Lightfoot. “By upholding the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior, we enable Texas Children’s to better fulfill its important mission of creating a healthier future for children and women.”

To recognize and promote the importance of integrity and ethics at Texas Children’s, the Compliance and Privacy Office will be celebrating National Corporate Compliance and Ethics Week (Monday, November 7 – Friday, November 11) by hosting a series of awareness events throughout the organization. These events are wonderful opportunities to meet members of the Compliance and Privacy Office team, learn more about what they do, play games and win prizes.

The events also offer a chance to keep your personal information secure as well as our patients’ and our Health Plan members’. Twice during National Corporate Compliance and Ethics Week, the office is providing employees a free, safe and secure opportunity to destroy any confidential personal documents that are ready for disposal. The Shred Days will be held Tuesday, November 8 at West Campus, and Friday, November 11 at Main Campus. For a complete schedule of this week’s events, click here.

For more information about the Compliance and Privacy Office click here and if you have any questions, please call the office at Ext. 4-2085 or send an email to compliance@texaschildrens.org.

How can you help?
Unethical, illegal or questionable activity should be reported to one of the following sources:

  • Your immediate supervisor
  • The Compliance and Privacy Office at Ext. 4-2085
  • The Texas Children’s Confidential Hotline at 1-866-478-9070 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

Retaliation for voicing concerns made in good faith is a violation of Texas Children’s policy.

11916wcmakingamark640Patients, families and employees at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus recently received a special treat when The Periwinkle Foundation granted a request to bring its Making A Mark exhibit to the community hospital.

The exhibit showcasing art created by children ages 3 to 22 who have been affected by cancer and blood disorders was installed in the lobby of West Campus last month and will be there until mid-November. This exhibit will then travel to other Texas locations.

Deborah Lee, assistant director of nursing for the Cancer Center at West Campus, said she is thrilled to have the Making A Mark exhibit on display for the West Campus community and that many of the pictures were created by patients who’ve received care at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

“These beautiful expressions of the child’s feelings through artwork show a piece of the journey they’ve been through,” Lee said. “It allows us to see the human factor affected by disease. It also brings healing for the child who created the art and for all who have the opportunity to view it.”

Linda Baker, assistant director of pharmacy at West Campus, helped get the Making A Mark exhibit to the community hospital and said she looks forward to it being a part of the campus for years to come.

“We are so excited to have the Making A Mark exhibit at West Campus for our patients and families to enjoy,” she said. “The Periwinkle Foundation specifically selected artwork by children that live in West Houston for this display.”

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers is the largest pediatric oncology and blood disease center in the United States and was ranked No. 2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The center, located in the Medical Center and at West Campus, is staffed by nationally and internationally recognized experts who have made major clinical and research advances in the treatment of childhood malignancies.